Add badge to app icon in iOS 8 with Swift

Question

I'd like to set a badge on the icon of my app like in apple's mail app (number on top of the icon). How can I do this in Swift (iOS8)?

score 37 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 13 '18 at 18:09

37

The "number on top of the icon" is called a Badge. Badges can be set on a number of things besides Application Icons including Navigation Bar toolbar icons.

There are many ways to change the Application Icon Badge. Most use cases involve setting this when the Application is in the background to alert the user that there is some change that they may be interested in. This would involve a push notification.

For more on that see: https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/NetworkingInternet/Conceptual/RemoteNotificationsPG/APNSOverview.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40008194-CH8-SW1

However, you can also change it while your app is active. You will need permission from the user by registering the UserNotificationType. Once you get permission, you can change it to whatever number you wish.

application.registerUserNotificationSettings(UIUserNotificationSettings(forTypes: UIUserNotificationType.Sound | UIUserNotificationType.Alert |
        UIUserNotificationType.Badge, categories: nil
        ))

application.applicationIconBadgeNumber = 5

enter image description here

edited Oct 13 '18 at 18:09

Abhishek

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answered Jan 18 '15 at 15:09

ericgu

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That's objective-c isn't it? – hans Jan 18 '15 at 15:10
1

Yes, I translated it for you. Apologies for before. – ericgu Jan 18 '15 at 16:13
2

You should add an explanation of what this code does. Otherwise, you're not teaching anyone anything. – SevenBits Jan 18 '15 at 16:40
1

Thanks for your answer. But what's `application`? I get an error (`use of unresolved identifier 'application'`). – hans Jan 18 '15 at 19:07
2

I put it in the didFinishLaunchingWithOptions in the AppDelegate File. You can also do this : let application = UIApplication.sharedApplication(). May have to import UIKit. – ericgu Jan 18 '15 at 19:17
I received push notification in all state i.e. when app is in forground, background, close(terminated)..! but my problem is that how to increment badge count when app is in background state and close (terminate) state???? Please tell me in details how i do it....? my app badge count is only increase when app is in forground state.....? if possible please tell me in brief.......!for Swift 3 – Kiran Jadhav Jul 29 '17 at 05:14
Feel free to edit. I am not working in Swift iOS nowadays – ericgu Jul 22 '19 at 13:07

score 35 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

35

2019

The answer is simply

UIApplication.shared.applicationIconBadgeNumber = 777

Unfortunately though it will not work unless you ask for permission first.

To do that you simply:

UNUserNotificationCenter.current().requestAuthorization(options: .badge)
     { (granted, error) in
          if error == nil {
              // success!
          }
     }

edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

Community

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answered Jan 02 '19 at 13:07

Fattie

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2

and import UserNotifications where you request authorization – tjdaniel2 Jun 18 '19 at 22:00

David Seek · Answer 3 · 2016-11-10T13:25:14.330

23

ericgu's answer seems to be outdated. looks like this -> | got replaced.

Here is a working Swift 2 code:

    let badgeCount: Int = 0
    let application = UIApplication.sharedApplication()
    application.registerUserNotificationSettings(UIUserNotificationSettings(forTypes: [.Badge, .Alert, .Sound], categories: nil))        
    application.applicationIconBadgeNumber = badgeCount

Edit: Swift 3:

import UIKit
import UserNotifications

class ViewController: UIViewController {

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        let badgeCount: Int = 10
        let application = UIApplication.shared
        let center = UNUserNotificationCenter.current()
        center.requestAuthorization(options:[.badge, .alert, .sound]) { (granted, error) in
            // Enable or disable features based on authorization.
        }
        application.registerForRemoteNotifications()
        application.applicationIconBadgeNumber = badgeCount
    }  
}

edited Nov 10 '16 at 13:25

answered Sep 02 '16 at 01:20

David Seek

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Am i need to call this in a viewcontroller's view didload...? or can i call it in app delegate...? – Abirami Bala May 18 '17 at 05:27
@AbiramiBala you can literally call it wherever you want – David Seek May 18 '17 at 11:28
I received push notification in all state i.e. when app is in forground, background, close(terminated)..! but my problem is that how to increment badge count when app is in background state and close (terminate) state???? Please tell me in details how i do it....? my app badge count is only increase when app is in forground state.....? if possible please tell me in brief.......!for Swift 3 – Kiran Jadhav Jul 29 '17 at 05:15

score 11 · Answer 4 · edited Nov 09 '17 at 07:59

11

For iOS10, Swift 3 with backward-compatibility, you can wrap the best answers into a nice (static) utility function:

class func setBadgeIndicator(badgeCount: Int) {
    let application = UIApplication.shared
    if #available(iOS 10.0, *) {
      let center = UNUserNotificationCenter.current()
      center.requestAuthorization(options: [.badge, .alert, .sound]) { _, _ in }
    } else {
      application.registerUserNotificationSettings(UIUserNotificationSettings(types: [.alert, .badge, .sound], categories: nil))
    }
    application.registerForRemoteNotifications()
    application.applicationIconBadgeNumber = badgeCount
  }

edited Nov 09 '17 at 07:59

aashish tamsya

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answered Nov 16 '16 at 14:15

dy_

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can we set Badge without registerForRemoteNotifications?? – Patel Jigar Dec 22 '16 at 06:08
@PatelJigar, i don't think so. This badge function is designed to be updated via notifications – dy_ Dec 22 '16 at 16:18
5

i had tried without registerForRemoteNotifications and it works – Patel Jigar Dec 23 '16 at 04:18
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@Patal did you happen to try it on the same install that you had previously accepted permission for notifications. Try it on a fresh install... – quemeful May 16 '17 at 18:14
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@quemeful, may I know where this function should be called in App delegate...? – Abirami Bala May 18 '17 at 05:30
I received push notification in all state i.e. when app is in forground, background, close(terminated)..! but my problem is that how to increment badge count when app is in background state and close (terminate) state???? Please tell me in details how i do it....? my app badge count is only increase when app is in forground state.....? if possible please tell me in brief.......!for Swift 3 – Kiran Jadhav Jul 29 '17 at 05:15
Yes, you can update the badge without registering for remote notifications, just do: `application.applicationIconBadgeNumber = ` – kakubei Mar 20 '18 at 12:43

score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Sep 29 '20 at 18:25

0

UIApplication.shared.applicationIconBadgeNumber = NotifCount

answered Sep 29 '20 at 18:25

yassine menssi

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Add badge to app icon in iOS 8 with Swift

5 Answers5

2019

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